USC Upstate Athletics rises to highest Conference Cup finish in the Division I era
5/25/2021 9:00:00 PM | General
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC -- In the midst of a supremely challenging circumstances, USC Upstate student-athletes and coaches rose to the occasion during the 2020-21 athletic year to complete a record-breaking campaign. Today, the Big South Conference announced the final rankings for the George F. "Buddy" Sasser Cup Trophy and as the dust settles, the Spartans finish the year with its highest ranking since moving to Division I, placing 4th of the 11 institutions in the Big South. This milestone encompasses the Spartans two conference memberships since making the move to Division I in 2007-08.
" I'm so proud of our student-athletes, coaches and support staff for our historic finish in the Sasser Cup," said Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Daniel Feig. "This result is a direct result of their hard work and determination throughout the year. In our first all-staff meeting of the year last August, we talked about the fact that we wouldn't face any other program that had won a game or set a record during a pandemic, so we were all on equal footing. Rather, our performance would be determined by our willingness to work hard and be flexible and creative during such a challenging time, and our student-athletes and coaches rose to the occasion in a spectacular fashion! Our 4th place finish isn't our final destination, but it is a good start on our way UP to competing for conference championships on a regular basis!"
Since moving to the Big South, USC Upstate has appeared in one other Sasser Cup ranking, 2018-19, placing 7th out of 11. The award was not given during the 2019-20 year due to the cancellation of all spring sports at the on-set of the COVID-19 pandemic.
USC Upstate's previous best finish came as a member of the ASUN Conference in 2011-12, placing 6th out of the league's then 10 institutions.
The Spartans rise up the standings in 2020-21 was led by its women's sports programs. Upstate softball finished in 2nd in the regular season and runner-up at the conference championship, while women's track and field finished 4th, the best finish at a conference meet in program history. Upstate women's golf placed 3rd at the conference championship and the volleyball program closed the spring season on a 6-match winning streak to climb into 5th place by season's end.Â
The men's side was paced this year with the best team finishes coming from men's soccer (runner-up in the conference tournament) and baseball, who will take the number 2 seed into the conference tournament later this week.
The Sasser Cup Trophy is named for former Big South Commissioner Buddy Sasser and is awarded to the Big South member institution with the most successful year athletically, based on an average points system.  Points are awarded for both regular-season and tournament finishes in each of the League's 19 championships, and the average of the combined total is used to determine the overall point allocation in the respective sport.  One bonus point is added to the average total for each Conference Champion/AQ representative, as well as any teams that receive at-large NCAA Championships berths.  Teams tied in regular-season or tournament play split the points earned.  Each member's overall point totals are then divided by the number of sports sponsored by that school to determine the average.
SASSER CUP STANDINGS
1.      Campbell ...........................          9.86-10.04
2.     High Point .......................................9.52
3.     Radford ...........................................7.68
4.     USC Upstate ........................       7.02-7.21
5.     Gardner-Webb ................             6.68-6.82
6.     Charleston Southern ..............      6.64
7.     UNC Asheville ............................... 6.54
8.     Winthrop ........................................  6.18
9.     Longwood .....................................  6.10
10.    Presbyterian College ..                5.71-5.89
11.     Hampton .......................................3.63
#SpartanArmy | #JoinUP
" I'm so proud of our student-athletes, coaches and support staff for our historic finish in the Sasser Cup," said Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Daniel Feig. "This result is a direct result of their hard work and determination throughout the year. In our first all-staff meeting of the year last August, we talked about the fact that we wouldn't face any other program that had won a game or set a record during a pandemic, so we were all on equal footing. Rather, our performance would be determined by our willingness to work hard and be flexible and creative during such a challenging time, and our student-athletes and coaches rose to the occasion in a spectacular fashion! Our 4th place finish isn't our final destination, but it is a good start on our way UP to competing for conference championships on a regular basis!"
Since moving to the Big South, USC Upstate has appeared in one other Sasser Cup ranking, 2018-19, placing 7th out of 11. The award was not given during the 2019-20 year due to the cancellation of all spring sports at the on-set of the COVID-19 pandemic.
USC Upstate's previous best finish came as a member of the ASUN Conference in 2011-12, placing 6th out of the league's then 10 institutions.
The Spartans rise up the standings in 2020-21 was led by its women's sports programs. Upstate softball finished in 2nd in the regular season and runner-up at the conference championship, while women's track and field finished 4th, the best finish at a conference meet in program history. Upstate women's golf placed 3rd at the conference championship and the volleyball program closed the spring season on a 6-match winning streak to climb into 5th place by season's end.Â
The men's side was paced this year with the best team finishes coming from men's soccer (runner-up in the conference tournament) and baseball, who will take the number 2 seed into the conference tournament later this week.
The Sasser Cup Trophy is named for former Big South Commissioner Buddy Sasser and is awarded to the Big South member institution with the most successful year athletically, based on an average points system.  Points are awarded for both regular-season and tournament finishes in each of the League's 19 championships, and the average of the combined total is used to determine the overall point allocation in the respective sport.  One bonus point is added to the average total for each Conference Champion/AQ representative, as well as any teams that receive at-large NCAA Championships berths.  Teams tied in regular-season or tournament play split the points earned.  Each member's overall point totals are then divided by the number of sports sponsored by that school to determine the average.
SASSER CUP STANDINGS
1.      Campbell ...........................          9.86-10.04
2.     High Point .......................................9.52
3.     Radford ...........................................7.68
4.     USC Upstate ........................       7.02-7.21
5.     Gardner-Webb ................             6.68-6.82
6.     Charleston Southern ..............      6.64
7.     UNC Asheville ............................... 6.54
8.     Winthrop ........................................  6.18
9.     Longwood .....................................  6.10
10.    Presbyterian College ..                5.71-5.89
11.     Hampton .......................................3.63
#SpartanArmy | #JoinUP
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